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Jeter's Next Big Swing

"I don't miss playings," says the retired Yankee, as the press-shy captain leads website The Players' Tribune, where DeAndre Jordan and Tiger Woods break news (sorry, ESPN) and backers are betting on a media home run

Smolders and the cast of the veteran CBS comedy are reportedly near a deal for a ninth and final season of the series, which would take it through the 2013-14 season, when Whedon's S.H.I.E.L.D. is likely to land on the schedule.

Speaking to THR (in the video below), Smolders said there have been "some talks" about involving Maria Hill joining the ABC drama. "Joss Whedon is a genius and any opportunity that I have to say words that he has written, I will take. ... I love Clark and want to be a part of it but we'll see."

The project from ABC Studios is based on Marvel Comics' secret intelligence organization that has appeared in countless titles including Iron Man, Captain America and The Ultimates since being introduced in the 1960s. The military law-enforcement agency's name stands for Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistic Directorate, a moniker that also has evolved over time in the comics.

"We fast-tracked that, and we'll see it a lot earlier than the others," ABC Entertainment Group president Paul Lee said this month of the ABC Studios/Marvel TV effort starring Ming-Na. "We're very hopeful that's going to go to series. … It's a great script."

Whedon is on board to co-pen the pilot alongside his brother Jed Whedon and Jed's wife, Maurissa Tancharoen; the trio teamed on the three-part web series Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Avengers and Buffy the Vampire Slayer mastermind Whedon will direct the pilot. The pilot -- and series, should it move forward -- is executive produced by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, Tancharoen, Jeffrey Bell and Marvel TV's Jeph Loeb.